An intranet is a private network, usually within a company or organization. An intranet uses the same protocols as the Internet and can contain the same types of content.
Intranets are commonly used to store internal, company-related content, such as information about company policies or employee benefits. Because security is tightly controlled by the administrator, the security settings for intranet content can be less restrictive than the settings used for content that comes from the Internet.
One difference between the Internet and an intranet is the way pages are addressed. On the Internet, webpages typically are addressed through a full domain name, such as www.microsoft.com. Depending on how the administrator has configured the network, the domain name is usually not needed to access intranet sites and many webpages can be accessed by typing a common name (for example, http://benefits/). If intranet security is enabled, Internet Explorer will recognize the difference between the addresses and use the appropriate security zone settings.
Not usually. When you first install Internet Explorer, it will check to see if you are on an intranet and set address checking appropriately. Your network administrator can also control whether Internet Explorer uses the intranet security zone settings. If Internet Explorer recognizes that you are on an intranet, you do not need to do anything else. If it does not recognize that you're on an intranet, follow these steps to tell Internet Explorer that you are on one:
To tell Internet Explorer that you are on an intranet
1.
Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Internet Explorer.
2.
Click the Tools button, and then click Internet Options.
3.
Click the Security tab, and then click Local intranet.
4.
Click the Sites button.
5.
In the Local intranet dialog box, clear the Automatically detect intranet network check box.
6.
Select all other check boxes, and then click OK twice.
If you are connected to an intranet but receive an Information bar notice that an intranet address has been detected, it means that Internet Explorer did not automatically detect your intranet. To tell Internet Explorer that you are on an intranet, follow the steps in the section above.
To learn how to connect to your company's intranet, you'll need to talk to your network administrator or search for "network" in Windows Help and Support. The settings discussed above control how Internet Explorer works with intranet addresses, but those settings will not help you set up an intranet connection if one does not already exist.
To change your intranet security settings, follow these steps:
1.
Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Internet Explorer.
2.
Click the Tools button, and then click Internet Options.
3.
Click the Security tab, click Local intranet, and then do any of the following:
•
Click Default level to reset any changes to their default settings.
•
Click Custom level to open a list of advanced security settings.
•
Select or clear the Enable Protected Mode (requires restarting Internet Explorer) check box.
•
Move the slider for preset levels of security.
4.
Click OK when you're done.
NoteBy default, the intranet zone has the same settings as the Internet Zone, unless Internet Explorer recognized that you are on an intranet (such as when you're on a corporate network).
Protocol
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Protocol
A standard set of formats and procedures that enable computers to exchange information.
Intranet
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Intranet
A network within an organization that uses Internet technologies and protocols, but is available only to certain people, such as employees of a company. Also called a private network.
Information bar
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Information bar
There is an Information bar in both Internet Explorer and in Windows Mail. In Internet Explorer, the Information bar appears below the Address bar and displays information about downloads, blocked pop-up windows, and other activities. In Windows Mail, the Infomation bar is displayed at the top of a mail message and is used to display information about security-related changes that were made to the message.
Administrator
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Administrator
A person responsible for planning, configuring, and managing the day-to-day operation of a computer network.
Help and How-to
